1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for transferring horizontal loads between a back-up structure and a veneer wall and, more particularly, to a twist on wire tie that connects a veneer wall to an anchor or anchor rail, which is attached to the back-up structure.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Much of today's construction of buildings requires a structural back-up wall to support horizontal transverse loads exerted by masonry veneer wall. The back-up wall typically consists of stud wall, masonry wall, concrete wall, steel elements etc. The veneer wall is supported horizontally by the back-up wall via masonry ties embedded in mortar joints on one end and attached to an anchor or a vertical anchor rail on the other end. The anchor rail is connected to the back-up wall and should be able to transfer the horizontal transverse loads, whether applied in tension or in compression, to the back-up wall.
Known wire ties used for connecting a rubble stone veneer wall include a common wire tie 30 of the type shown in FIG. 1. The wire tie 30 includes a connector plate 32 permanently attached thereto by either a crimping or welding procedure. This wire tie 30 is sold by Hohman & Barnard, Inc. of Hauppauge, N.Y., under the name “Tie-HVR-195V” System. Turning to FIG. 2, the wire tie 30 is shown connecting a veneer wall 34 to a back-up wall 36 for load transfer between the walls 34, 36. Connecting the walls 34, 36 with the wire tie 30 improves the structural stability of the wall 34, making the veneer wall resistant to a variety of forces acting on the wall, e.g., wind forces pushing the veneer wall 34 toward the back-up wall 36 or forces acting in other directions. Still referring to FIG. 2, the wire tie 30 is connected to the back-up wall 36 by lifting a rail 38 upwardly out of an anchor loop 40. Thereafter, a worker slides an end 42 of the rail 38 into an opening 44 (see FIG. 1) of the wire tie 30. Generally, the next steps include placing an embedment end 46 of the wire tie 30 into a mortar bed 48 of the veneer wall 34 and then installing a block 50 on top of the mortar bed 48. When the mortar cures, the wire tie 30 is a rigid connection point for load transfer between the walls 34, 36.
The wire tie 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has considerable drawbacks. First, the anchor rail 38 must be slid out of the anchor loop 40 to insert the rail 38 through the opening 44 of the wire tie's 30 connector plate 32. It is not practical to add another wire tie 30 onto the anchor rail 38 after installation has occurred. The new wire tie described herein may be inserted onto a round anchor rail without removing same from the corresponding anchor loops. The new wire tie can also be front loaded at practically any level without threading it through an end of the anchor rail, which saves time and money during installation. Another problem with the prior art wire tie 30 is that it does not provide a rigid connection between the wire tie 30 and the connector plate 32, which allows the wire tie 30 to deflect excessively under compression load. The new wire tie described herein is less costly to manufacture, does not require the use of a connector plate, and resists both tensile and compressive forces.
Referring to FIG. 3, another known wire tie 52 is shown, which includes a cross bar 54 welded thereto between opposing leg portions. The cross bar 54 and a closed end 56 define an opening therebetween to accommodate the anchor rail 36 described hereinabove. The wire tie 52 is sold by Dur-O-Wal, Inc. of Aurora, Ill., under product number DA3000SL. The prior art wire tie 52 suffers from similar drawbacks as identified in connection with the prior art wire tie 30, i.e., it is not practical to add another wire tie 52 after the anchor rail 38 is installed within the anchor loops 40 and that the wire tie 52 must be inserted onto the rail 38 at the end 42 thereof. The wire tie 52 also includes the additional manufacturing step of adding a cross bar 54.
Another known wire tie 60 for connecting a masonry veneer wall to a back-up wall is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The prior art wire tie 60 is sold by Heckmann Building Products of Melrose Park, Ill., and is marked in their catalog as product #'s 314, 316, and 318. The wire tie 60 includes the embedment end 46 (noted above), two opposing legs, and a closed end 62. The wire tie 60 is connected to an anchor rail 64. A worker installs the wire tie 60 by inserting an end 66 of the wire tie 60 into a space between the anchor rail 64 and a surface of a back-up wall 68. The end 66 is rotated approximately one hundred eighty degrees so that the closed end 62 of the wire tie 60 is disposed in the space between the anchor 64 and the back-up wall 68. The embedment end 46 is then ultimately disposed in a mortar bed (not shown).
The prior art wire tie 60 also has significant drawbacks. In instances where there is a tight working space to install wire ties, a worker may find it difficult or impossible to loop and rotate the wire tie 60 into the anchor rail 64. This issue may become more exacerbated when anchor rails with wider channels and/or multiple slots are utilized (see below). The new wire tie described herein overcomes such disadvantages by the ease of front loading the wire tie, which will be described with greater particularity below.
Similar wire ties as those shown in FIGS. 1-5 are also sold by most other wire tie manufacturers, which suffer from the same issues as noted above. The present invention provides for an improved wire tie that can be attached to certain types of vertical anchors and anchor rails in a more direct and efficient way than previous prior art wire ties. Additionally, the new wire tie will enable the development of new anchor rails, not practical till now, that will take advantage of the new properties found in the present wire tie.